On the 10th of February 2010, The Voice Against Animal Mistreatment, a club started by a group of students at DPS R.K. Puram to spread awareness about the cruelty against animals, invited Ms.Ambika Shukla, an eminent animal activist and one of the leading advocates against animal mistreatment working with the People for the Ethical Treatment Of Animals(PETA) to speak on the prevention of cruelty to animals.

The Voice Against Animal Mistreatment was started by the students of DPS R.K.Puram and blossomed under the constant support and guidance of Ms.Sangita Bajpai, a Geography teacher in the school. They were recently awarded a Certificate of Achievement for using their voices to speak up for animals and their skills to defend them against cruelty by PETA.

Ms. Ambika Shukla expressed her delight at being present and instantly connected with the audience. She circulated a petition against ‘manja’, a glass coated thread used to fly kites, causing an alarming increase in the deaths of birds. She apprised the students on how they could help and should have the ‘courage to care’ about animals. She busted popular myths about pedigree dogs, informing them how they are genetically deformed and live in constant pain. She encouraged students to adopt stray animals especially, Indian dogs, which have evolved to suit the Indian climate. She spoke about the importance of vegetarianism inspiring many present to give up meat, by citing examples of vegetarian celebrities and enlightening the students on why the humans aren’t meant to be carnivores. India has the strongest animal protection laws, and Ms. Shukla enlightened the audience about all of them and urged them to intervene and report acts of cruelty. She advised them to enquire if the cosmetics and toiletries have been tested on animals and boycott them if they had.

The seminar ended with an interactive session when Ms. Ambika Shukla addressed the questions posed by students. The members of VAAM delivered the vote of thanks. The event was a resounding success with students vowing to make a change and raise their voices against animal mistreatment.

28th January, 2010 was a memorable day for the outgoing batch of Class XII of D.P.S. R.K. Puram. The Farewell is an important day in the school calendar, a day where the school bids adieu to the batch passing out, wishing them luck for the future and thanking them for their contribution to the school. The students, clad in their finery, were very nostalgic about the many years spent in school.

The event kick-started with a cultural show, organized and performed by the students of Class XI. The school choir, performed a harmonious medley of songs, leaving the audience teary-eyed. This was followed by an energetic and foot-tapping dance performance.

The Head Boys, Karan Chadha and Rudrath Kaul and the Head Girls, Ragini Lalit and Medha Khanna addressed the gathering and expressed their view about what D.P.S. R.K. Puram meant to them and how it had shaped their personality. The Principal, Dr. D.R. Saini greeted the students, wished them best of luck for their life ahead and congratulated them on being a splendid batch. The Vice Principal, Mrs. Shobha Mehta, also wished them the very best for the life ahead.

The school felicitated the school appointees, class monitors and the student of the year with certificates, as they proudly took the stage for the last time. Shikha Jain, Vaishali Ganga and Shruti Lakhtakia, Toppers of Science, Commerce and Humanities respectively were also felicitated. Others given the honour were best sportsperson, India’s no.1 in Under 19 table tennis, Pranshu Gupta and Prerana Bhambri; best debator, Medha Khanna; best artist, Pragun Agrawal and best musicians, Benjamin BabyJohnson and Ragini Lalit. Soveniers were presented to each student of the batch. The ceremony concluded with a duet performance by our music teachers, Mr.Rajesh Upadhyay and Mr. Hamid, that left the audience humming to their tunes.

The guests were welcomed with the chanting of shloks. The Principal, Dr. D.R. Saini warmly welcomed them. The event began with a melodious qawalli, “Tazeem” by the Hindi Music Choir. An exhilarating dance ‘Sapno se bhare naina’ was performed by the dance troupe of the school. The chief guest, Professor Deepak Pental then approached the dais. Prof Pental talked about his strong ties with the school and called it ‘one of the best schools in the country’. He emphasized the importance of being proud of our country, ‘its liberal democracy and pluralist culture’. According to him, we should ‘celebrate the diversity and the plural way of life’ that exists in our country. He advised the students to be liberal and to help the underprivileged. He exhorted the students to become individuals with high ‘ethical standards’ and work to remove the menace of corruption from society.

The students of Anubhav Shiksha Kendra, a school for the underprivileged run on the premises of DPS R.K.Puram, presented a mesmerizing patriotic dance. Two students of class XI, Mehak Kapur and Vidhi recounted their many experiences in the school and described their feelings on receiving the scholar badge.
The distinguished guest, Dr. Usha K. Luthra , then commended DPS R.K Puram for its endeavour in providing ‘holistic education’ to children. She also mentioned that consistency is of vital importance in one’s life, advising students to “always be consistent to their own self ’’. Along with academics, students must learn responsible behaviour. In her view , behavioural health is of great importance for students.

The much-awaited moment of the prize distribution finally came. The Representatives for Class XI, Mrs.Alinda Holla and Mrs.Savita Vasesi read out the names while the guests presented the awards to the students. Students were awarded green and blue badges and blue ties for academic excellence, and the red badges and blazers went to those showing remarkable talent in the co-cultural activities like art, sports, dance or music.

The event concluded with a vote of thanks by the Vice-Principal, Mrs. Shobha Mehta, as she expressed her gratitude to the distinguished guests and congratulated the students and their parents on this momentous occasion.

The Team of Astronomy Club Members

Switzerland is celebrating 2009 as the year of “Science and Education of Switzerland in India”. The objective of the Swiss astronaut’s visit to India is to explore further the potential of cooperation between Switzerland and India in the fields of education, research, technology, innovation and science.

Swiss astronaut Prof. Claude Nicollier has logged more than 1,000 hours in space including 1 space walk totalling 8 hours and 10 minutes. He is a former Swiss Air Force Pilot and was working both as an airline and test pilot. The satellite project “SwissCube’’has been developed at the Swiss Federal Institute for Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland, and is scheduled to be launched from Satish Dhawan Center, India, by end of August 2009. The primary objective of developing the “SwissCube” satellite is to provide a dynamic and realistic learning environment for undergraduates, graduates and staff in the development of small satellite technology in Switzerland.

As many as 37 schools (20 Government Schools, 8 Government Aided Schools, and 9 private Schools) took part in the competition, comprising eleventh and twelfth class students. The Principal, Dr (Mrs) Shayama Chona and Vice Principal Dr. D. R Saini warmly welcomed all the guests, Prof.Claude Nicollier and Ms. Muriel Noca, Mr.Mattia, Ms.Sarah Berry, Mr.Arthur Mattli Deputy Head of Mission, Switzerland Embassy along with other officials of the Swiss Embassy. Mr.S.K.Gupta, from the Department of Education, also graced the occasion. Prof. Nicollier addressed the students, expressing his pleasure at being there. According to him, India and Switzerland are very different in dimension, but share ‘the same dreams, aspirations and goals’. Prof. Nicollier shared his fascination with space and traced the progress of space research. He explained how space research provided an answer to many of the questions like how the earth came to be formed and if other forms of life exist on the planet. He showed many fascinating pictures of the earth from space and of life in a space station.

Ms. Muriel Noca also spoke to the students about the ‘Swiss Cube’ project and its many advantages in helping to understand space better. She offered advice to students in how to go about following space research as a profession. An interactive session with the students followed where many queries were addressed.


The prize distribution took place and all the participants were given certificates by the Swiss dignitaries. The models were judged by two professors of the Astro-Physics Department of Delhi University, Prof.H.P.Singh and Prof.A.Dutta. The top three positions for the best models went to Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidhalaya, Vasant Kunj, Hansraj Memorial DAV School, Daryaganj and Delhi Public School, R.K.Puram respectively. The vote of thanks was delivered by Mr. Mattli Deputy Head of Mission, Switzerland Embassy . This was followed by a session with the press and later the students of the school’s Editorial Board who interviewed the two guests. The guests then went on an inspection of all the models along with the Vice Principals, Dr.D.R.Saini, Mrs. Shobha Mehta, Mr. J.S Virdi, HOD Physics Dept., Mrs. Savita Chadha and Mr. Subodh Kumar, who coordinated the exhibition.

The programme was successful in igniting the minds of students about the fascinating aspects of Astrophysics as there were students who were especially grateful and thankful to the organizers for giving them such wonderful opportunity to make their dreams come true. This program was an amazing glimpse into the world of outer space.

On 14th December 2009, DPS R.K.Puram hosted the scholar badge ceremony for grade VII, sections A to F. The Principal, Dr. D.R. Saini welcomed the guests .The Chief Guest for the day was Dr. Rajeev Shorey, President of NIIT University. It was presided over by Mr. Sunil Garg, IPS and Additional Commissioner of Police. The distinguished guests were welcomed with the chanting of shloks. The Indian music choir sang a beautiful song. The Principal, Dr.Saini congratulated all the parents and exhorted them to "give the best of their guidance to their children so that they can have the confidence to face the world with firmness in the future". An enthralling Kathak dance was performed. Students from the seventh grade expressed their views about the new challenges in the near future. The tiny tots of Anubhav Shiksha Kendra, a school for the underprivileged run on the premises of DPS R.K.Puram, presented a mesmerizing dance based on a Japanese folk song.

The Guest of Honour, Mr. Sunil Garg spoke to the students about the importance of retaining moral values even as one climbs up the ladder of success. According to him, there were no shortcuts to success, and he advised the students to "think high, think positive, but not forget the responsibilities towards parents and society".

The Chief Guest, Mr. Rajiv Shorey, also an alumnus of the school, outlined the evolution of the school and recounted his own experiences in the institution, stating that it was these very experiences that shaped him into the individual that he was today. He also talked about the necessity of having ‘holistic knowledge’, and the convergence of all different aspects of education, to make society more aware, progressive, and productive.

The much-awaited scholar badge ceremony felicitated each student's meritorious performance in every field. They were awarded the scholar badge for academic excellence, and the red badge and red blazer was awarded to those showing remarkable talent in the co-cultural activities-be it art, sports, dance or music.

The program concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by the Vice-Principal, Mrs. Shobha Mehta, as she congratulated the students on this momentous occasion.